


Young and relentless

by theraincanttouchus



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Gen, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Only the first chapter is about their firsts meetings, Viktor's an asshole for half a chapter but it gets better, he's just a moody teen, viktor and Yuri are brothers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-07-16 09:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16083170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theraincanttouchus/pseuds/theraincanttouchus
Summary: The first time Yuri meets his half-brother Viktor Nikiforov, he's four and Nikiforov is the worst teen he's ever met.





	1. Cold as Russian winter

**Author's Note:**

> I've always found it so weird how most of the world decides to ignore the mother's surname when naming a child. It's just super bizarre for me, since we don't do that in Latin America. Anyway I decided to take advantage of that, and since I love Viktor and Yuri's interactions, I made them half-brothers, on their mother's side, that way I could keep everything mostly canon, since Yuri can have his grandpa and they both keep their surnames. So it's a win-win.

The first time Yuri remembers meeting Viktor is when he was four years old. His mother had been ecstatic. She’d gone all the way with her cooking and cleaning. The house had been spotless and the meal smelled like heaven. She’d devoted all day to the preparations. ALL day.

“Mama, come “The kitten name wolf” is on. Come watch it with me.” The small blond yelled, hoping his mother would hear him all the way from the kitchen.

“Not now, Yuratchka. I need to finish the syrnikis before your brother gets home.”

“But it’s on now.” Yuri pouted “Mama!” He whined before sinking further on the couch, pout still in place.

He didn’t understand why his mother was acting this way. What was so important about Viktor anyway?

Like, of course Yuri had heard that he was the junior’s champion in figure skating, if only because it was the only thing his mother talked about during skating season. And also because he was forced to watch his competitions. But like, so what? One day Yuri will be someone even cooler than Viktor, like an astronaut or a president and then Mama will forget about Viktor. Not that that would be hard, since Mr. Superstar barely ever visited Mama.

The teen arrived at five pm, a little late for dinner, but his apologetic smile was beautiful and it made their mother beam at him. She’d made solyanka soup along with mashed potatoes and steak. Yuri sat at the table with them and frowned at all of it. He didn’t like solyanka and preferred chicken but he still ate it.

Viktor moaned at the smell “This looks delicious, mom,” It sounded fake even to Yuri’s young ears. But Mama smiled nonetheless.

“How’s the senior division treating you?” Mom asked Viktor “I heard you’re the first to medal at all in a senior debut.” There were stars twinkling in her eyes, like Viktor had hung the moon on the sky.

Yuri scoffed at that, not that anyone paid him any mind.

“Yes, I am,” Viktor’s smile was cold and pretty.

“Oh, I wish I could’ve seen it in person,” His mother was oblivious to the edge of Viktor’s smile, or the way his hand shook around the spoon.

“Dad went to see it.” Viktor said gleefully “He’s been a big part of my career, not that you’d know since you’re confine to,” he gave the apartment a once over “this place.”

“Hey, what do you mean?” Yuri shouted, jumping to stand on his chair. Maybe he was small, but he could tell that Viktor was insulting them.

“Oh, honey, don’t take it personal,” Sofya intervened, always the diplomatic one “your brother’s been living on the nicest places in Saint Petersburg, it’s only logical Moscow doesn’t hold any interest to him anymore.”

“Yeah, because that’s what I meant” Viktor muttered in English, making sure that no one could understand him. But Yuri caught the way he rolled his eyes and got the meaning anyway.

“Now, who wants dessert? I made syrnikis, low on fat and sugar, so you don’t have to worry about eating them.”

Viktor left shortly after they finished eating, claiming he had to go back to his hotel room.

When his mother suggested he stayed the night, Viktor sneered about how he didn’t want to encounter her new husband and proceeded to slam the door on his way out.

Yuri just watched it all play in silence. He didn’t know what to do, he’d never seen his mom so sad and tired. So he just waited outside her bedroom door and listened to her cry until his dad got home with flowers and pastries.

His dad knelt in front of Yuri, gently resting a hand on the boy’s hair “Thank you for keeping your mom company, but it’s time I take over, okay?”

Yuri nodded, “I don’t like Viktor, papa.” He told the man before he went into Sofya’s bedroom.

“Neither do I to be honest, but he’s important to your mama, so we have to deal with it.” His dad gave him a wink before entering the room, roses held high and a big smile on is face.

Yuri left once his mother started laughing at his dad’s jokes.

-o-o-o-o

Yuri’s mother always loved the ice. She caught the falling snowflakes between her fingers and called them magical.

She was the one who enrolled Yuri on the skating lessons, despite the kid’s protests against it. The blond still went though, because nothing made his mother’s eyes shine like when the instructor told her Yuri was “gifted”, whatever that meant. He went because mom called him her perfect boy and bought them ice cream after every practice.

Mom still watched Viktor’s competitions, she still called him with praises and reassurances that he’d do better once his growth spurt stopped, but now every other call included a “Oh, Yura’s so talented, too. I can’t wait for you two to be on the ice together.” Or a “I’m so happy Yura will have you to guide him in his career.”

And Yuri had found out that he actually loved it, too. He loved the freedom of the ice, how he could practically fly through the rink. He loved how warm he felt after every practice, how lightheaded and weightless he felt as his blades cut through the ice. And he adored the lines on the ice at the end of practice. They were the roads and paths through which each of the class had skated and told a story as much as the skaters themselves did, or so his mother said.

Yuri wondered if his mother would like to know that her coffin was being covered in snow as the preacher gave his speech. He wondered if she’d find the image of everyone’s umbrellas being turned into white with snow as magic as she found it in life. But most of all, he wondered if she’d call Yuri’s frozen tears magical crystals, or if she’d just be sad about them.

He was alone, just outside of the crowd of silent people, all of them dressed in black, even him. Just an odd black dot amidst all of the white around them.

Yuri averted his eyes once they started lowering the coffins to the frozen ground. His dad would be so upset, he hated the cold, hated the fact that they had to stay inside for almost half a year every year. But dad loved mama, and so he’d always play with her in the snow and make snow angels together.

The small child turned completely from the scene, and spotted a tall dark figure in leaning on a tree, a couple of meters away from everyone else. His black clothes contrasted with the white snow around him, and his white skin and hair did the same with the dead tree behind him.

Yuri was six, and lonely, and that’s the only excuse he’s been able to give himself as to why he went to that tree, to meet with his half-brother who could barely stand him on most days. But he went. And he regretted it for the next two.

At eighteen Viktor was nearly 1.80 meters, and judging by how fast he’d been growing lately, he’d end up being even taller than that. At eighteen Viktor looked uncomfortable on his own body, and there was no smile on his face. Though that could be blamed on the situation they were both currently in. But at eighteen Viktor didn’t shed a tear in their mother’s funeral. He just stood there, glaring at nothing in particular and Yuri hated him for it. He hated him for making mom sad and for never being there for her. He’d made mom cry so many times, and yet he couldn’t shed a tear for her now.

“What are you doing here?” Yuri asked. He was shaking from the cold and his pronunciation was all funny from his two missing teeth. But Viktor didn’t smile. He only rolled his eyes.

“Get lost.” Was all the almighty Viktor Nikiforov told him before going back to glaring to the snow.

Yuri scoffed at that, he was six and he was not going to be intimidated by some white giant in black clothes “You shouldn’t be here. You don’t deserve to be here.”

“Really?” This time Viktor got away from the tree and let his size tower over the blond’s “She was my mother, too, brat.”

“No!” Yuri snapped, his cheeks red with anger rather than cold, now “You were never there, you didn’t love her! You didn’t love her like I did and you don’t deserve to be here now that she’s… now that…” he couldn’t cry, not in front of Viktor “You can’t be here!”

Viktor’s eyes grew colder than the snow around them and sharper than the wind cutting their faces “She was my mother first, you know?” He started, his tone was clipped and a small part of Yuri feared that he’d try to hit him. He kind of whishes he had “Before you and your father came along and stole her from us.”

“Mama loved him.” It was what his grandpa would always say.

“Don’t be stupid. Sofya made a mistake and ended up pregnant with you, that’s the only reason she left with that twat.”

“Don’t call my father that!” Yuri pushed back the angry tears that threatened to fall from his eyes “You’re just angry ‘cause she loved us more than she loved you.”

Viktor stood there in shock, still like a frozen lake. And then he broke “You fucking brat, she didn’t love you more than me, she was just too much of a coward to get rid of you when she still could. But she always regretted it. Do you really think she got you into ice-skating because she thought you were good? You can’t be stupid enough to not realize that she was trying to make you into a copy of me! Because I’m her real son, the one she always chased after, so you can take your “You don’t deserve to be here” and shove it up your dead father’s ass!”

To this day, Yuri doesn’t remember what happened after that. He just remembers Viktor’s father- a tall, broad man with white hair and beard- coming to them and yelling at Viktor before taking him away. He remembers standing there, crying his eyes out until his grandfather appeared out of nowhere and swooped him into his arms.

Yuri couldn’t stop crying, he kept hearing the words over and over in his head. ‘I’m her real son’, ‘She was just trying to make you into a copy of me’, ‘You were just a mistake’.

“Yuratchka, what happened?” His grandpa asked when Yuri didn’t stop crying after half an hour.

Yuri just looked at the two tombstones, they were covered in white snow, their names barely visible among the white.

“Dad always hated the cold. He only liked snow because he loved mama.” Yuri said, his tears falling freely now that he could snuggled into his grandfather’s chest. His father had hated the cold so, so much. And yet he still made snow angels with his mother because he just loved her that much.

“Yeah, Kolya really loved your mama a lot,” Said his grandfather, snuggling the boy closer.

His father had loved his mother so, so much…

“And mom loved him too…?”

“Yes, Yura, Fiya loved your dad a lot, too.”

Yuri just nodded, burrowing closer to his grandpa. His grandpa was a very smart person, the smartest he knew, and if he said that mama loved papa, then it was the truth.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness and emptiness in his chest, so he just cried some more, and waited for the cold to numb his pain like mama said it would.

-o-o-o-o-

When Viktor cut his hair, both tabloids and the internet dubbed it as the single most tragic event of 2010. It was the end of an era, according to them. However none of them seemed to realize that it was the end of the worst era in Viktor’s life. None of them seemed to care.

A lot of them started to come with hypothesis, though, if only for the sake of gossip.

Most tabloids and printed press went with the idea that Viktor had done it to finally shed the androgynous persona and become a “man”. It was so obvious to see that “have finally gotten over his gay phase” was what they’d meant that Yuri wondered why they even bothered pretending.

A lot of fans thought that he’d just wanted to mark the end of his bad streak. Viktor hadn’t managed to land a single gold besides Russian’s Nationals from the time he entered the seniors circuit at seventeen, until he was twenty. Of course he’d gone to every grand prix and worlds, and of course he’d landed a few medals, but everyone could see that nothing lightened up his eyes like gold.

Yuri didn’t care that much, though. It was just a haircut. Or so he thought.

That was until he went to open the door of his grandfather’s apartment, only to find none other than Superasstar standing on the threshold. There was a wavering smile gracing his lips that almost fell upon seeing Yuri, before it grew back again.

“Hello, Yura,” He said softly. Viktor’s eyes watched him from head to toe before his smile wavered again “You’ve grown quite a lot.”

“What are you doing here?” Yuri was trying for menacing, but even he could hear the uncertainty in his voice. Where was his grandpa? Didn’t he hear the bell?

“Oh, well… I was in the neighborhood?” Was his lame answer. It was so unsure that it almost sounded like a question.

“You live in Saint Petersburg…” Yuri pointed. Part of him wanted to close the door and forget that his half-brother had been here. The other half, however, was frankly curious as to why was Viktor being so skittish and awkward.

The decision was thankfully taken from him when his grandpa came to the door. His apron was full of flour, as were his hands.

“Yura, who was it?” The man’s face, upon seeing Viktor, went from curious to distrustful and settled in something dark Yuri hadn’t seen in a while. It was the same face his grandpa had made when Yuri had finally explained to him what had happened during his parents’ funeral “Viktor Nikiforov.” Was all his greeting.

Viktor visibly flinched at both the tone and the rudeness “Nikolai Mikhailovich,” He said politely.

“What are you doing here, boy?”

The white haired man relented to looking at the floor, his hand flying to rub his neck “Well, Europeans are going to be in Moscow and I arrived a week earlier and was wondering, since I’m here, if maybe it would be ok if... I mean if I could take Yura out…” When his blue eyes looked up he was met with a raised eyebrow from Nikolai that made him lower them again “I mean, just for fun you know, I’d bring him back before dark, which is in a couple of hours since it’s winter.” He peered up again before heaving a defeated sigh “I’m sorry, this was a bad idea. I should… I should probably go back to my hotel room…”

The 10 seconds of hesitation before he turned away, betrayed just how much Viktor wanted to be told that it was ok and he could totally take Yuri out.

“Viktor,” Nikolai’s tone had lost its edge, but not its curiousness “It’s too cold to go out, but you can stay for dinner if you’d like.”

“REALLY?” Viktor’s eyes grew comically wide. There was a spark of hope and happiness on those blue orbs that hadn’t been there before.

Yuri scoffed at that. Just how desperate must Nikiforov be for attention if he acted like an excited puppy after being shown just the barest amount of courtesy.

An excited puppy... now that reminded him.

“Where’s Makkachin?” Yuri asked as Viktor hanged his coat.

“Oh, I left him in the hotel with Yakov. It’s really cold outside and I didn’t want him slipping on ice or anything.”

Yuri rolled his eyes ‘But you didn’t have any problems with trying to get ME out’

“Why? Did you want to see him? I can bring him next time,” he sounded so hopeful, so excited. Yuri just stared at him.

What the hell had this man to be excited about, the blonde didn’t know.

“Do whatever you want, freak.”

“You finally cut your hair,” Nikolai said, he kept watching Viktor from the other side of the room. Still trying to figure out why was he there.

Viktor lifted a hand to the nape of his neck, where his hair ended now. “Yeah, I felt like it was time for a change,” He sounded sure of himself for the first time since he entered the apartment.

Nikolai just nodded, “Take a seat, dinner will be ready soon, Yura” he said after noticing the blond starting to walk towards the kitchen “Will keep you company while you wait.”

“But I was helping you!” Yuri complained, because there was no way he was staying in the same room as Dicktor Nikiforov (yes, maybe he’d come with one too many names for him during the long nights where sleep eluded him. Could anyone blame him, though?)

“Everything’s already in the oven, I just have to finish the salad and get the pirozhkis out. I can manage,” Nikolai’s tone left no room for arguments, so Yuri just clicked his tongue and sat on the couch. The older man nodded and gave Viktor what could only be called a warning look, before going to the kitchen. The very near kitchen that was only separated from the living room by a thin wall.

Viktor sat himself slowly. His hands kept fidgeting with each other as if he were nervous. Yuri just clicked his tongue again.

“Why are you acting so weird?” The blond finally snapped.

The young man looked up, startled by Yuri’s harsh tone “Am I?” Viktor said, with the same smile he gave reporters.

“Yes! You are, don’t try to pretend otherwise, I’m not stupid.” Yuri barked, trying to tell himself that the last part had sounded offended and not defensive. Like he hadn’t been replaying that conversation every night before he went to sleep. There were so many replies he wished he’d given Viktor. So many things Yuri wished he’d done instead of breaking down crying in front of him.

Yuri glared harder at him.

Viktor just gave him a pained look “I know,” he whispered.

And Yuri could just blink at him because that, that hadn’t been the answer he’d expected “Good…” Was nervousness contagious? Because Yuri was starting to feel it all of a sudden.

Nikolai coming out of the kitchen was what finally put an end to ten minutes of awkward silence and Yuri ran to the dining table as fast as his eight year old legs would carry him.

Viktor inhaled with a smile “It smells delicious Nikolai Mikhailovich.”

“Thank you.”

“It tastes even better,” Viktor moaned as the filling of the pirozhki finally met his mouth.

“I’m glad that you like it. Sofya used to like beef pirozhkis too.” Yuri’s head snapped towards his grandfather.

How dare he mention Mama with Viktor here?

How dare he tell Viktor about her? Nikiforov never knew her because he was always away, despite all of Mama’s requests for him to visit he CHOSE to never do so. He didn’t deserve to know her favorite pirozhkis.

Viktor gave Nikolai a wobbling smile, like he was trying to stop himself from crying “I see. She used to say… Mom would go ‘Nikolai’s father makes the best food I’ve ever eaten, Vitenka, it’s like getting a little taste of heaven’” he says in the fondest tone Yuri’s ever heard from him “I’m thankful that I got to taste it.”

“You would’ve tasted it sooner if you’d ever come visit.” Not that Yuri had wanted him to visit, but Mama had always looked so sad every time Viktor would tell her that he couldn’t come for X and Y.

Viktor moved his salad from one side of the plate to the other, and back again “I know…”

“You’re here now,” Nikolai intervened in that final tone of his “Which brings us to the question of why are you here now? You said you wanted to take Yura out, where to?” he elaborated when Viktor shot him a panicked look. The idiot probably thought he’d get a harsher interrogation.

“Oh” His face suddenly brightened “Well, I was thinking about taking him to a skating rink that just opened near Moscow city.”

“That sounds fun. Doesn’t it, Yura?”

Yuri frowned at Viktor “The VDNKh skating rink is still open, why’d I want to go to an overpriced rink when I can go to VDNKh whenever I want?”

Viktor’s smile fell minutely “Well, there won’t be as many people in this rink. It’s actually reserved for the russian team all this week, so we can train before the Europeans.”

Yuri mulled over it for a minute. On one hand, he REALLY hated having to skate around all those people. On the other hand, spending any amount of time alone with Viktor didn’t sound like a good idea. He looked over to his grandpa, who just gave him an encouraging smile and a ‘why not’ look.

Fine, Yuri Plisetsky was no coward, and he wasn’t going to hide from Viktor Nikiforov. The blond nodded to himself ”Fine, I’ll go, but only if you teach me how to jump a double Axel.”

Viktor’s smile froze halfway, morphing into confusion “Sure,”

“AND you have to bring Makkachin.”

“Consider it done.” Viktor agreed with a smile.

Yuri nodded again before resuming his eating.

o-o-o-o

“I thought the rest of the Russian team would be here?” Yuri couldn’t help but ask after being met with an empty rink.

It’s not that he was nervous of being alone with Viktor, not at all. But he’d thought…

“Oh, they’re out having lunch,” Viktor said with his ever-present smile “I thought you’d like to have the rink all for yourself.” He added a little bit less sure.

Yuri just shrugged, trying for nonchalant. He petted Makkachin one last time before finishing tying his rental skates and stepping into the ice.

Yuri’s shoulders relaxed as soon as the blades touched the ice, and he took a big inhale, enjoying the freedom of the ice “Yeah, I like it better,” He told Viktor with a smile.

The white-haired man returned it tenfold, his entire posture relaxing.

They skated for two hours before Viktor stopped on the side of the rink, his blue eyes staring at Yuri with something he couldn’t identify, but it kind of looked like awe and maybe, just maybe, fear.

“You’re really good, Yura.”

“The Axel isn’t as hard as everyone makes it sound,” Yuri deflected the praise. He was good at skating, he knew that, and he liked it, too. But skating was Viktor’s thing. It was what kept him away from his family. It was what made Mama sad. And Yuri never wanted to make his grandpa as sad as Viktor had made Mama.

“No, it’s worse,” Viktor calmly stated “Have you ever thought about skating? Professionally I mean.”

Yes, every day, every time I step on the ice, was the correct answer “Don’t be ridiculous, I wouldn’t leave my grandpa behind,” like you did with Mama, was Yuri’s answer instead.

Viktor’s face fell as if he’d heard Yuri’s thought.

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t,” This time his smile didn’t come back until way after they’d left the ice.

“Why did you invite me to skate with you?” Yuri finally asked as they were having lunch on Victory Park, if only because the fancy restaurants at Moscow city wouldn’t let Makkachin in.

“Because I wanted to spend time with my little brother, why else?” Viktor flamboyantly said.

Yuri merely scowled at him “We’re brothers now?” He’d wanted to shout, to yell at this asshole until he was blue in the face, but he couldn’t find the strength to do so. Truth was, Yuri was tired, so so tired.

Viktor’s smile receded a little, until it looked more authentic “I believe I owe you an apology, Yura.”

“You don’t say,” was Yuri’s sarcastic retort.

“I mean it,” And for the first time since Yuri had met him, Viktor’s tone was completely serious and honest “I know I can’t take back what I said. But I need you to know that I didn’t mean it, and that I’m sorry,” Viktor raked a hand through his hair, his mouth twisted into a frown “I was young and so, so stupid. I honestly can’t even believe I yelled at you, at a child, during our mother’s funeral. What the hell was wrong with me?” He pressed the heel of his palms on his eyes. Yuri just stared at him.

Viktor sounded so truthful, so angry with himself.

Yuri’s grandpa had told him to give Nikiforov a chance, if he was being honest, if he really wanted to change. And most importantly, if Yuri wanted to give him a chance.

And the thing was, he kind of did. Because Viktor was an interesting person who lived a pretty interesting life, a life that Yuri, who’d lived all of his life in the northern suburbs of Moscow, couldn’t even begin to fathom.

And he was the best figure skater Yuri had seen, in more ways than the technical parts he didn’t understand that well. In three to five minutes, Viktor could tell a more engaging and emotional story with his body than many writers could in entire novels.

“I guess that, what I’m trying to say, is that I’m sorry I was such an asshole to you and that nothing, literally NOTHING I said that day was true. And I’d give everything to take it back.”

Yuri mulled over it for a minute before nodding “So what do you want from me?” Because that was something Viktor hadn’t made clear yet.

Viktor just stared at him, his eyes filled with hope “For you to be my brother.”

Yuri dramatically groaned, letting his head fall on the table “You’re so cheesy,” he pretended to gag at Viktor ridiculousness and the other man just laughed at him.

The blond shared a secret smile with Makkachin from underneath the table. They were going to be okay.

* * *

 

This is actually the longest chapter and I hope you liked it.

Please let me know if I made some mistakes (english isn't my first language so I'm pretty sure I made more than one).

Thank you for reading.


	2. Of fallen heroes and flawed humans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, the second to last scene was one of the first ones I wrote of this fic and what inspired me to write the whole thing because I loved it so so much.  
> Also, I'm not sure how well explained it was in the last chapter, but, in case you were wondering, Yuri and Viktor's mother left Viktor's father after she became pregnant of Yuri, and because she'd already fallen in love with Yuri's dad, so Viktor resented her a lot because he was only eleven/twelve when all of this happened. So, yeah, he was a jerk but it was kind of understandable.  
> Anyway I hope you like this chapter.

Yuri is going to kill Viktor Nikiforov. He’s going to murder that stupid bastard and feed him to the seagulls in Saint Petersburg. He can already see the headlines: “Russian punk murders his brother, Russia’s prodigal son, Viktor Nikiforov, and scatters his remains all over the Neva river.”

“Viktor, where the hell are you?” Yuri shouts at a foreign sky. He’s in a foreign country where he doesn’t speak the language, he doesn’t understand the signs, he has literally no idea of where is he. He’s lost, and he’s probably going to die because he can’t even give directions to a damn cab and this was as far as he knew how to direct the Uber to. He’s going to die and it’s all going to be Viktor’s fault.

Not that he ever thought it would be any different to be honest.

In the end, it’s thanks to a local man with a quite limited english, that Yuri finally, FINALLY, finds Viktor. After more than ten hours of flying in a cramped plane, two stupid scales and about four hours of being lost in a country where he can’t even say hello, let alone ask where the hell he is, Yuri finally managed to find Viktor Nikiforov. And after everything he’s been through all his stupid brother can come up with is a “Yuri, you’re here?”

Yuri is so going to kick his ass. And he’s going to do it while wearing his skates, just to make sure Viktor gets what he deserves. Stupid asshole actually forgot about his promise. Honestly, why the hell did Yuri ever thought it would be a good idea to get involved with such an airheaded fool?

But he looks happy, so Yuri lets him have his little competition. Lets him believe Yuri is oblivious enough as to not notice what he’s doing.

Whatever, Viktor’s intentions won’t matter once Yuri surprises everyone, including that asshat, with his amazing performance and forces Viktor’s hand into declaring him the winner and going back to Russia.

He can’t let Viktor get too excited about the Japanese drunk. Yuri can’t go through another one of Viktor’s heart wrenching break ups, nor does he think Viktor can, for that matter.

It’s a shame, though, for in any other circumstances Yuri would’ve enjoyed the challenge, and the opportunity to, not only watch Katsuki skate as skillfully as he knows the older skater is able to, but to also be part of his motivation to do so.

But alas, it seems like he’ll just have to break this up since the supposed adults can’t seem to be mature enough to do so themselves.

-o-o-o-o-

“I can’t believe Yuri actually came all the way to Japan…” Yuuri tells Viktor during dinner. His hands keep fidgeting with his mug, telling Viktor just how nervous he is.

Which makes Viktor repress a sigh. It’s like no matter what he does, he still can’t get Yuuri to relax around him. Is he really that self-conscious about their first meeting? Does he regret what happened? Every part of Viktor hopes that that isn’t the case, because that banquet is the happiest memory he’s had in years. But given Yuuri’s refusal to even acknowledge what happened that night, that’s the most likely possibility.

And it just hurts so badly.

“I can,” Viktor answers with an easy smile, hoping to help him relax. Yurio’s sleeping the jetlag off right now, and Viktor suspects it’s going to take a while before he and Yuuri get to be alone again. Especially with how demanding Viktor knows his brother can get.

Yuuri’s frowning at him, and Viktor scrambles his brain trying to find what part of this conversation could have upset his companion. Is that even an upset frown or is it a confused one? The fact that they still aren’t close enough for him to be able to tell one from the other frustrates Viktor to no end.

“He shouldn’t be able to,” Yuuri says after a moment, his eyes fixed on the cup.

“Huh?” Is Viktor’s intelligent answer, he’s admittedly lost the thread of the conversation amidst his musings.

“Yurio, he shouldn’t be able to flight to another country all by himself, and he shouldn’t have had to arrive to this small town alone.”

Viktor cocks his head to the side “Does he bother you that much?” and he hopes the answer is no, because Yurio might be a difficult child, but he’s family.

“It’s not that!” And now it’s quite obvious that Yuuri is, in fact, upset. Even if Viktor isn’t sure as to why, yet “How can you not see it?”

Viktor just shrugs “Sorry, I think I’m not following the conversation.”

Yuuri looks down at the table, trying to find the right words before he speaks again “Yurio, your brother, he’s a teen. He should be under someone’s care, he should have someone who stops him from just jumping on a plane and traveling to the other side of the world on a whim.” Yuuri’s tone betrays just how much he doubts it’s okay for him to say this, and yet, the clearness with which he speak shows just how much he believes this is wrong.

Caring for someone who can barely stand him is one of those precious things Yuuri does that just make Viktor appreciate him all the more. Even if he’s wrong here.

“Fifteen isn’t that young for a skater, though,” it’s Viktor’s gentle rebuttal “I mean, didn’t you travel alone at that age, too? Didn’t you move to the other side of the world when you were just a little older than Yurio is right now?”

“That’s different, I went to study college, my parents drove me to the airport and then called coach Celestino to make sure he’d pick me up once I arrived and then he drove me to my dormitory. I was only alone during the flight. However Yurio just went to his nearest airport, took a plane and arrived to a country he knows nothing about, set on finding a small village, all of it by himself. Anything could’ve happened to him and no one seems to care.” Viktor can almost hear the ‘not even you’ left hanging in the air.

The thing is, Yurio’s story is his own to tell and the blond would probably choke Viktor in his sleep if he ever found out that his brother spread it around.

With that being said, he can’t let Yuuri think Viktor is the kind of man that doesn’t care about his family.

“I’ll admit that I’m not happy about that part,” he careful begins “But please believe me when I say that if Yakov or Yuri had told me he was coming I would’ve gone to pick him up to the airport.”

Yuuri just nods.

“The thing is… well, my little bro isn’t really used to asking for help, you know? So he probably thought nothing about coming here.” Viktor’s fingers start to fidget with his necklace, which is probably one of the only nervous ticks he’s aware of having “Hey,” he leans closer to Yuuri, close enough for him to be able to whisper to the raven haired skater “Can I tell you a secret?”

Yuuri blinks, trying to adapt to both the change of subject and Viktor Nikiforov’s closeness, before nodding.

It makes Viktor’s smile widen “I know Yurio acts really harsh, and can be kind of brattish, but I think he doesn’t dislike you as much as he likes to pretend.”  
Yururi leans back, his eyebrows shooting until they almost touch his hairline and Viktor can’t help the sigh that escapes his mouth. Surprised Yuuri is such a beautiful Yuuri.

“But he kicked me back at the rink.”

Oh, right, Viktor still needs to have a talking to with his brother about that “Yeah, his manners aren’t the best, it comes with being so talented, I suppose.”  
“But you’re so nice all the time.” Yuuri blushes an adorable shade of red that makes Viktor melt inside. He has to try to compose himself before talking so he doesn’t look like a fool.

This is what Yuuri reduces him to.

“Well, you didn’t know me when I was younger.” And thank God for that. Because if his own asshole past-self was enough of a jerk to scream at a child during their mother’s funeral, Viktor really doesn’t want to guess what he could’ve done with a pretty and kind-of-good skater with an anxiety problem. It’s due to how much practice he’s had schooling his features that Viktor manages to repress the shiver that goes through his spine.

“The point is,” he continues at Yuuri’s confused look “That even though he may seem mean, he can actually be quite sweet when he wants to. Not only that, I truly believe he only pretends to hate the most the people he likes.” With the exception of family. Although, maybe Viktor should start to include himself back into the other list, considering the way Yurio’s been talking to him lately. Perhaps that talk is a little more urgent than Viktor had thought.

“He gave you that necklace, right?” Yuuri blurts, his eyes glued to the black cord hanging from Viktor’s neck.

Viktor looks down, only to realize that he’s still fidgeting with the little gold skate pendant “Yes, he did. After my last Olympics, actually.”

“You always wear it to every competition, even most of the pictures they take of you include it,” And doesn’t that make Viktor wonder just how closely did Yuuri use to follow his career?

“I never take it off, unless they explicitly ask me to, for a photoshoot,” Yuuri’s eyes are still glued to the necklace, so Viktor does the only thing he can think of “Would you like to see it?” he asks, slipping the black necklace off and extending his hand for Yuuri to take it.

The other skater’s eyes go comically wide at his actions “What? No, no, I mean, you just said you never... I couldn’t ask you to…” he waves his arms around a little maniacally, if Viktor’s being completely honest.

“Well, you aren’t asking, I’m offering. Besides it’s not like I’m not allowed to take it off, I just like it a lot.” Yuuri makes no sign that he’s going to take it “Come on, take a look, or are you going to leave me here offering, Yuuri? How rude of you.” Viktor says in the most dramatic voice he can muster, which is a quite dramatic one. It’s a low tactic, but this has stopped being about the necklace and has become more about Yuuri being unable to take any of what Viktor’s so eagerly offering.

And Viktor has never tried so hard to meet someone in the middle, so he honestly can’t understand why Yuuri refuses to try to take his, literally and metaphorically speaking, outstretched hand.

“Can I, really…?” the younger skater asks again before carefully taking the necklace from Viktor’s hand. He turns it around like it’s delicate china, his fingers barely caressing the gold skate “It’s beautiful.”

And it really is. The gold skate is very well done, with delicate lines that emulate the laces. It’s a very simple design, but it isn’t any less beautiful because of it.

“I know.” Viktor says with a fond smile. He still can remember the way Yuri had hugged him after Viktor got off the podium. The gleam on the blond’s eyes when he told Viktor ‘Next time, this medal will be mine’ with a reverent hand curled around the gold circle. And how Viktor had, not for the first time, truly felt threatened by the kid’s words.

More so when Yuri had won the Worlds in the Junior’s section the very next month.

It was with the money of that prize that Yuri had, unbeknownst to Viktor, bought this necklace. When the silver haired man had tried to get him to return it and use the money for something else Yuri had just scoffed at him, saying that now they were even. Because of course his little brother took all the financial help Viktor had given him at the start of his career as something that he needed to pay back.

“He told me those were the last Olympics I was going to win, so I should have something to commemorate them,” Viktor lets out a small chuckle, and tries not to think about just how close to home that hits now. About how right he now thinks Yuri was.

“He said that?” Yuuri, on the other hand, looks scandalized.

It makes Viktor’s smile soften “I told you he pretends to hate the people he cares about. Yurio’s weird like that.” And Viktor can only shrug at the truth of that.

Yuuri passes him back the necklace with as much delicacy as he’d been holding it “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

And this time his smile is a curious, precious thing. Like he’s finally beginning to consider that Viktor’s brother doesn’t actually hate him.

-o-o-o-o-

Yuri ends up sleeping for twelve hours, which is more he’s ever slept since he was eight. It’s a nice thing, to be able to sleep without stressing over the fact he has to wake up before six am every day and start going about his day before most people even have their first coffees.

It only takes a look around the wooden room he’s in to remind him he’s no longer in Saint Petersburg. Yuri lets his head fall back to the pillow, without a care for the hard wooden floor beneath said pillow. Stupid Viktor…

Yuri lets out a frustrated groan, covering his eyes with his fists. Why must his brother be such a lovesick, whimsy, selfish idiot?

How can a grown man fall for a drunk mess of a skater? Does he really believe anything can come off of a drunk night?

“Of course I’d be cursed to be related to the only idiot in this whole round earth that would move to the other side of the world just to follow a one night stand,” Yuri heaves a pained sigh before resigning to his fate.

Fine, if Viktor can’t see his mistake, then it’s Yuri’s responsibility to show him.

However, not even Yuri can’t ignore just how different the Japanese skater is when sober. He seems even shy, like he didn’t grind on Viktor a couple of months ago.

_“I just want to eat katsudon with you, Viktor.”_

It’s probably the sweetest, and corniest thing Yuri has ever heard come out of anyone’s mouth. And yet, it seems to have struck a core on Viktor. Not that the blond blames him. If he didn’t know better, even he’d call his petition innocent. But he does know better, and so does Viktor, so why does it look like Yuri already lost?

The fact that Viktor sabotages him further by giving him a program about selfless love just cements the idea that the man has no intention of going back to Russia. But that’s okay, Yuri can thrive under any circumstances, he always has. Of course that it doesn’t help that he gave mister I-know-how-to-pole-dance-better-than-Giacometti a program about sexual love, but that’s okay, too.

The next weeks of training are grueling, but the blond can at least find some solace on the fact that Katsuki seems to be unable of grasping the concept of sexuality when sober.

“I don’t think he remembers the banquet,” Yuri tells Viktor during one of their personal training sessions.

Viktor just cocks his head in that annoying way of his, “What makes you think that, Yurio?”

And if Yuri weren’t so damn desperate to get Viktor to understand this is the worst decision he’s taken in a decade, he’d totally fall for Viktor’s bait to rile him up. But he is, he really is.

“Just, think of the way he acts, all shy and innocent, and tell me you honestly believe he’d act like that if he remembered grinding against you at the banquet.”

Viktor puts his hand on his chin, mulling over it “Well, yeah” he finally says “I think he’s embarrassed about it, you know? I mean he’s so shy and cute and was obviously a little too drunk that night, so it’s only logical he’d feel embarrassed about his behaviour back then.”

“And you don’t see anything wrong with staying here and trying to get into his pants when he’s so embarrassed about what he did that he’d rather ignore that night even happened?”

Viktor’s smile is as fake as Katsudon’s innocence “I think he just needs to learn how to be more comfortable around me, and everything will flow naturally.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“My, my, Yurio, anyone would think you care about this relationship.”

Yuri can’t help but rolling his eyes, “Whatever, just show me that stupid step sequence again, airhead.”

“Why must you be so cruel to your poor older bro?” Viktor says in one of his many dramatic tones before putting the music back on.

-o-o-o-o-

Yuri inhales the frozen air of the rink.

It invades his lungs and settles throughout his body. Just like it always has.

It makes him wonder, after all this time in the ice, is he permanently frozen? Is that why he can’t skate to this damn routine, because agape requires feeling and feeling requires a warm heart? Is that why Viktor quitted the ice?

That makes him pause, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Viktor’s heart was frozen, they all could see it. Viktor no longer enjoyed, well… anything to be honest. Yuri vividly remembers how two years ago he threw a fit because Viktor had left his World’s gold medal- a World’s gold medal for fuck’s sake!- carelessly hanging on the couch and Makkachin had ruined the ribbon. He remembers the dismissive look Viktor had given him before throwing the ribbon away and putting the medal along all the others.

Yuri takes another deep breath, and this time he doesn’t stop until he feels the cold invade every cell of his being.

Agape, unconditional love. Love. What does Viktor know about love?

There’s a part of Yuri that suspects his brother knows even less about love than he himself does. And isn’t that a tragedy in and of itself?

But their mother loved the cold. She’d probably say that there’s no better place to paint love than in the ice… She’d probably also say something about being proud of Viktor for following his heart, all of it with a warm smile and sad eyes…

The three beats Yuri set to signal the start of the song start playing. It signals the end of his self-given resting time.

So he assumes his position.

When he exhales, his cold breath bounces against his chest to hit him back on the face.

Yuri is, admittedly, tired. Viktor’s regime isn’t any lighter than Yakov’s, and he’s been having to keep up with Katsuki’s stamina. So, once the music starts, he just lets his body do a downgraded run of the routine. He’s not thinking about what his body’s doing, not really.

His mind is full of images of Viktor arriving at four in the morning, drunk out of his mind. His shirt full of wrinkles and suspicious stains. His face, a washed thing that belonged in a zombie movie and not in an international athlete. Of Viktor drinking till he puked on their kitchen floor, and then drinking another bottle, crying his eyes out about his then boyfriend deciding to end their relationship because he wanted to “become a man” and that meant finding a girl and having children, and “leaving this stupid gay thing behind”. Of Viktor telling him that “maybe happiness is made for normal people, Yura, maybe that’s my fate”.

Yuri takes the opportunity of the next step, the one where he covers his face, to wipe away the wetness clouding his sight.

It is when he’s running the couple of steps before where his quadruple Salchow should be that he starts to wonder, who’s Viktor trying to reach out during these steps? As he raises and lowers his arms, he realizes that what Viktor is doing isn’t reaching out, but offering. Is Viktor offering his heart during this routine? Is that what his true love means?

The quad, just like the others, becomes a single, and Yuri takes the extra time to look around. This place, Hasetsu, is where Yuri saw Viktor smiling, truly and carefreely smiling for the first time in ages.

And suddenly all his mind can think of are recent memories of Viktor happily running along Makkachin on the beach. Viktor rambling to Yuuri about nothing at all. Viktor sitting on the table with a grateful look and eating everything Mrs. Katsuki laid on his plate. And as he does the combination spin, all he can think of is the way she looks at Viktor and Yuuri when they don’t notice. There’s no disgust or judgment in her eyes, but there’s also no ignorance. Yuuri’s mom is completely aware of just how into each other they are, probably more than either of those idiots are. And yet she just smiles and shakes her head at their obliviousness. The warm in her eyes tells Yuri that she’d be, not only perfectly fine, but actually happy at the prospect of her son and heir of their family name, ending in a relationship with a man.

‘Once this is over, we can leave to other country, find our happy endings’. Yuri can hear Viktor’s voice clear as a bell. And as he extends his arms to the skies, he knows that Viktor already did just that.

And, surprisingly enough, the thought fills Yuri with a kind of peace he hadn’t felt in a while. They can be happy; even if they aren’t “normal” they can be happy.

His breath is warm when it bounces against his stretched arms to his face. And so is he.

-o-o-o-

Yuri knows he’s lost even before Katsuki enters the ice. It’s written all over Viktor’s face, in the way he squeezes the japanese man and asks him to do his best so they can stay together.

The program was too hard for Yuri to learn in so little time, and all he can hope for is that the program will also be too hard for the other skater to manage, and maybe, just maybe, then the crowd will pressure Viktor into taking the right decision.

It’s a short lived hope, though. Yuuri’s moves captivate the audience, and more important, they captivate Viktor. And in that moment, Yuri can see it, clear as the ice Katsuki’s painting his love into.

His stupid brother is truly in love, and even more impressive, so is the drunk Japanese. The way Yuuri skates speaks of desperation and love and reaching, reaching as far as he can and then some more, just to see if he can manage to touch Viktor’s heart. The stupid pig doesn’t even realize he already has.

Yuri just heaves a tired sigh and leaves. He knew this was a lost battle, he was aware that Viktor’s been trying so hard to find a lifesaver for years now.

But whatever, let the two idiots pine for each other until they realize they’re in love, they deserve each other, and their happy ending. But Yuri’s still going to be the one taking the gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally loved the conversation between Yuuri and Viktor, Idk why, I just did.  
> The necklace actually came from a way more over-the-top idea I had that then realized was way to dramatic and not realistic at all. But I liked the concept so I kept the necklace.  
> Also, Viktor was probably planning on explaining everything to Yuri after the competition but alas, Yuri is a bit of a drama queen and left without saying a word. It runs in the family.  
> Also, again, english isn't my first language and I truly struggled with writing this chapter, and I'm sure I used at least two or three words/phrases wrong, so if you find a mistake, please do tell me.  
> I truly hope you enjoyed it :)


	3. The world between us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapters cover from the end of episode three to episode seven.

**From: Superasstar**

17:19 Yurio! You could’ve told me you were leaving (

17:20 It was really rude of you to just leave that space in the podium empty ((((

17:21 Come on! Don’t be a sore loser, we’ll all have Katsudon back at the inn ;)

17:29 Yurio, where are you?

18:17 Yura, Mari says that you packed your things before the competition and left an envelopment with money to pay for your stay??????

18:26 Yuri Plisetsky, answer the damn phone, I’ve been calling you for hours.

18:46 OMG, there’s a plane leaving to Russia today, please tell me you didn’t leave to the other side of the world AGAIN without telling anyone???

18:50 Yuri!

18:50 Yuri!

18:51 Yuri!

18:52 YURI!!!!!!

19:00 Would you at least just tell me that you’re okay????? I’m kind of freaking out right now.

 

**To: Superasstar**

19:15 I’m fine.

 

**From: Katsudon**

20:01 Hello, Yuri-kun. Listen, I’m really sorry for all of this. I… I’m not sure what I did, but maybe we can talk and try to solve it? Viktor cares a lot about you and he seems very upset that you blocked him. I understand that you’re angry but he’s just worried. And he didn’t mean to hurt you, none of us did, and I’m really sorry if that’s what happened.

 

**To: Katsudon**

20:19 Calm the fuck down, would you?

20:20 And tell Viktor to stop being a drama queen

20:20 I just blocked him because his constant texts were killing my battery and my patience.

20:23 There, I unblocked him, so tell him to stop crying about it.

20:25 And I’m not a pansy like you, my feelings aren’t “hurt”.

20:25 Unlike you, I’m serious about winning the GP and I needed to get back to training as soon as possible.

20:26 It was always my intention to go back today, with or without Nikiforov.

 

**From: Superasstar**

20:24 Yuri, that was an awful thing to do, how dare you block me?

20:25 I had to call Yakov (((

20:25 I think he left me deaf ((

20:32 Yuri?

20:38 Hey, so I know you’re mad. I know I told you we’d do this together, but believe me when I say this is good for both of us.

20:38 You need to step out of my shadow and spread your own wings….

20:41 And I really think Yuuri could be it for me… you know?

20:44 We are okay, right?

 

**To: Katsudon**

20:45 You and Nikiforov are both morons.

20:48 If you fuck him up, next time I’ll kick you with my skates on.

 

* * *

 

 

**From: Superasstar**

11:20 So I saw that Lilya is training you along with Yakov.

11:23 She’s pretty strict right?

11:25 I trained with her when I was nineteen and she literally beat the jerkiness out of me

 

**To: Superasstar**

11:28 Not soon enough, unfortunately

 

**From: Superasstar**

11:30 :/

 

**To: Superasstar**

11:37 Mila thinks Yakov wants to get back together with her…

 

**From: Superasstar**

11:37 :O :O :O :O :O :O :O

11:37 What?????

11:38 OMG why does she think that???????

11:38 What have you two seen??????

11:39 You have to tell me everything!!!!!

 

**To: Superasstar**

11:40 You’re a gossip slut.

 

**From: Superasstar**

11:40 :((((((((((((((((((((((((

 

**To: Superasstar**

11:42 Ugh! Fine, give me an hour, when my lunch time starts.

 

**From Superasstar**

12:30 So, is it your lunch time already?

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:36 Ugh, shouldn’t you be too busy chasing Katsudon’s ass to be gossiping?

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:37 Don’t be crude, Yurio.

12:37 Besides I always have time for gossip.

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:38 Yeah, gossip and Katsuki, good to know where your priorities are.

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:39 ??????

12:40 Well… I mean I wouldn’t exactly put it like that.

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:41 The word doesn’t matter when the meaning is the same.

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:42 Where did you hear that from?

12:42 Is the hockey team training there in the afternoons again?

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:43 Forget it.

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:43 Yurio

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:43 Save it.

12:43 And FYI that’s not my name.

12:44 Not that you care.

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:46 Is everything ok there?

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:46 Just peachy.

12:47 Now, weren’t you dying to hear the latest gossip in here?

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:48 Well yeah, but… You sure everything’s alright?

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:49 Yakov and I are living on Lilya’s house.

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:50 WHAT???!!!!!!

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:52 She said it was so we could work better…

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:52 And Mila doesn’t think that’s the whole truth…

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:53 According to her, there are thousands of other ways in which we could work better than having her ex-husband and I living in their old house.

 

**From: Superasstar**

12:53 Well, she’s right.

12:55 What do you think?

 

**To: Superasstar**

12:59 I think that house is huge.

13:00 Potya keeps finding new places to get lost in.

 

**From: Superasstar**

13:02 Yeah, I remember.

13:02 Makkachin loved to hide on the library.

13:03 Be careful, though. Potya’s way smaller than him and she could get lost for hours.

 

**To: Superasstar**

13:03 I know.

13:04 Either way, Yakov always tries to make small talk on the nights, after dinner.

13:06 They sometimes talk about you, or Makkachin.

 

**From: Superasstar**

13:08 Well, we lived there for a long time.

 

**To: Superasstar**

13:09 Lilya thinks you’re impulsive…

 

**From: Superasstar**

13:10 I bet that’s not the only thing she thinks. But you were talking about she and Yakov?

 

**To: Superasstar**

13:12 Yakov seems almost at ease in that house now…

13:12 At first he was tense but now he acts…

 

**From: Superasstar**

13:13 Like he belongs there?

 

**To: Superasstar**

13:13 Yeah.

 

**From: Superasstar**

13:15 They were together for a long time, and although they didn’t speak that much to each other, they never really lost contact.

13:16 So there’s probably a big chance of them getting back together.

13:17 That’s so exciting!!!!!!

13:17 Yurio, you need to keep me updated ok?

 

**To: Superasstar**

13:19 Sure, what else would be more important to me than to be your newsfeed.

 

* * *

 

**To: Redhag**

21:05 Yakov and Lilya are watching an old movie in the living room.

 

**From: Redhag**

21:08 Are they eating popcorn?

 

**To: Redhag**

21:08 This is Lilya Baranovskaya we’re talking about.

 

**From: Redhag**

21:09 Right.

21:10 How close to each other were they sitting?

 

**To: Redhag**

21:12 They weren’t side to side but

21:12 They also weren’t sitting on the edges.

 

**From: Redhag**

21:13 That’s progress.

21:14 I bet they’ll get back together before Russian Nationals.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:15 Why not the GPF?

 

**From: Redhag**

21:16 They’re going to be too focused on you to realize what’s going on.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:18 And you think they won’t care about me after the GPF?

 

**From: Redhag**

21:18 I think they’ll relax after you win.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:19 First time I think you’re right, hag.

 

**From: Redhag**

21:19 Your ego is so big it no longer fits in Russia, Yura.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:24 You think that’s what happened with him?

21:24 Russia got too small for him?

 

**From: Redhag**

21:25 Don’t know.

21:25 He’s your brother, you should probably know better than I.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:31 … They’re tearing him apart.

 

**From: Redhag**

21:32 I told you not to watch The Skating Lesson again.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:32 But

 

**From: Redhag**

21:32 No, Yura, turn off that thing.

21:33 I’m serious.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:36 He was a national hero.

21:36 And now he’s a pariah...

 

**From: Redhag**

21:37 Yuri Plisetsky, we have training at 6 am.

21:38 GO

21:38 TO

21:38 SLEEP

21:39 This won’t happen to you if you lose, so stop worrying.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:40 It’ll get worse if I lose, though.

 

**From: Redhag**

21:40 Perhaps, but that won’t be your fault.

21:41 Besides, what’s this I hear about losing?

21:41 You’re Yuri Plisetsky, junior world champion.

21:41 You’ll wreck them all.

 

**To: Redhag**

21:42 Yeah, you’re right.

21:44 … Thanks, I guess…

 

**From: Redhag**

21:44 You’re welcome.

 

* * *

 

**To: Superasstar**

 

15:36 So you finally managed to get into Katsudon’s pants

15:37 was it worth it?

 

**From: Superasstar**

15:37 ????

15:38 Why’d you think that?????

 

**To: Superasstar**

15:39 His whole love declaration in national TV and the Internet after his win??

 

**From: Superasstar**

15:40 Oh… that, well I think he meant love in a more general way…

 

**To: Superasstar**

15:42 I wanted to say that you’re not that stupid, but then I remembered who I was talking to.

 

**From: Superasstar**

15:43 ((((( Why are you so mean to your poor brother??? ((((((

 

**To: Superasstar**

15:46 … The press here isn’t very happy with you right now…

 

**From: Superasstar**

15:48 The press there hasn’t been happy with me since I left, they’ll get over it

15:48 But do you really think Yuuri meant he loves me????? :))))

 

**To: Superasstar**

15:49 Ugh, you’re a moron.

 

**From: Superasstar**

15:49 You love me though ))

 

**To: Superasstar**

15:50 I’m going to crush you both in the GP

 

* * *

 

**From: Superasstar**

20:24 Congrats on your silver, Yurio!!!  
20:24 I knew you could do it!!!!  


**To: Superasstar**

20:30 Are you mocking me?? >:|

 

**From: Superasstar**

20:30 What?? No!!! Why’d I do that??????

 

**To: Superasstar**

20:31 Because you’re an asshole.

 

**From: Superasstar**

20:31 I’m not.

20:33 Yurio, taking silver on your first event at a GP it’s awesome, you should be proud.

 

**To: Superasstar**

20:35 Ugh, save your pep talk for your boyfriend, I’m aiming for the gold.

 

**From: Superasstar**

20:36 He’s not my boyfriend…

 

**To: Superasstar**

20:36 He’s not???!!

20:37 What’s taking you so damn long???

20:37 Dude practically waxes poetic about you every time your name’s mentioned.

 

**From: Superasstar**

20:40 I don’t think we’re ready, he’s still not that comfortable around me and I don’t want to push him.

 

**To: Superasstar**

20:46 You’re a disaster Nikiforov.

 

* * *

 

**From: Superasstar**

14:45 I did it!!!!

14:45 I finally kissed him!!!!

 

**To: Superasstar**

14:48 Yeah, I saw.

14:49 The whole internet saw…

14:51 Congrats on finally getting somewhere with katsudon, I guess.

 

**From: Superasstar**

14:51 I know!!!!

14:52 I’m so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

**To: Superasstar**

15:00 Have you finally talked about what happened at the banquet?

 

**From: Superasstar**

15:02 What for??

15:02 We’re fine now, he’s finally comfortable around me.

15:04 He knows I trust him and he trusts me. Why ruin it?? We’ll talk about it once he’s ready to do so.

15:05 Right now I’m too happy. Yura, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me!!! <3 <3 <3

 

**To: Katsudon**

15:10 If I have to deal with a heartbroken Viktor again, I’ll murder you in your sleep.

 

**From: Katsudon**

15:14 Yuri, I’d never do that. I… I really care about Viktor a lot, and the last thing I want to do is to hurt him in any way. I swear.

 

**To: Katsudon**

15:19 Good, because you’ll need all the help you can get if you hope to even get to the Final.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole part about Viktor being considered a traitor comes from last year's drama with Evgenia Medvedeva (silver medalist in the winter Olympics) leaving her coach in Russia, who's kind of like the most famous coach in that country, and going to Canada.  
> I mean, her fans still stan her, but a lot of Russians were very angry, so I thought that, since Viktor is such an important athlete in Russia, if he left it'd go down even worse than it did with Zhenya.


	4. Two Yuris bonding in the snow

Yuri loves his grandpa. He’s been the most influential person in his life. He was there when Yuri lost his first tooth and when he did his first jump. And Yuri just knows that the old man would be disappointed if Yuri got banned from ice skating for something as inconsequential as killing some talentless jerk as JJ.

Still, the impulse remains.

He has to go to the lobby to take some fresh air in order to quell it.

“Ladies first” fucking asshole, like Yuri needs another reminder that he looks feminine. Not that he minds, not when it gives him such a big advantage above everyone else.

It’s still annoying, though.

According to the reflection of the window, in the darkness that reigns outside, his figure could be mistaken by that of a woman. And Yuri can’t help but think that, if his hair were just a little longer, it would look like his mother’s reflection more than his own.

Sofya had beautiful butter hair and Viktor’s blue eyes. He got his mother’s lips and Viktor got her cheekbones, he still isn’t sure if any of them got her nose. He’s bad at noses. But he knows that even though he got her hair color, Viktor’s the one that got its straightness.

The ring of his text notification wakes him out of his musing long enough for him to make the form of Katsuki walking through the frozen streets outside the hotel. The stupid pig was going to get himself killed in this damn weather, which is the only reason why he decides to follow him.

As he’s going up to his room to retrieve his coat his phone goes off again. When he opens it up he’s greeted by two messages, both of them from Viktor.

The first one is to tell him that Makacchin is fine, the second one is to congratulate him on his silver. He gets another one before he even gets out of the app, this one asking if he can give Yuuri a hug from Viktor and Makkachin. Yuri sends a quick text saying that he’s glad that Makkachin is fine and leaves it there.

He does grab the pirozhkis his grandpa gave him, but that’s just because it’s almost Katsudon’s birthday and not because of Nikiforov at all.

When he finally finds Katsuki- and why must these idiots make him search for them?- he’s sulking on a fence, as though his goddamn eros wasn’t perfect and the only reason he didn’t get to the podium was because of Viktor’s absence.

He kicks him off the rail he’s sulking in and into the fresh snow. Hopefully, either the kick or the cold will knock some sense into him. Not that Yuri actually expects that to work, but hope dies last, right?

“Why do you two idiots keep making me search for you in stupid situations?”

Yuuri gets up slowly, gently brushing the snow off his clothes “Yurio?”

The roll of Yuri’s eyes is a reflex at this point. Why do they insist on that stupid nickname to differentiate between them when Russian has more than ten short versions of his name?

Which is something Viktor should know, by the way, so why does he keep encouraging it? Is he really that desperate to get along with the in-laws?

“What was that earlier?” Yuri asks, instead of voicing all of his former opinions, because unlike his brother, he does know how to keep his focus on the pressing matters.

“Huh?” Is katsudon’s intelligent answer, because of course it is.

“The whole attack-of-the-hug stunt you pulled earlier? You were like a zombie, walking around and trying to hug everyone.”

Katsudon at least has the decency to look mildly sorry about it “Well… Viktor usually hugs me after a performance so…”

“Are you for real?”

“I was going through withdrawal.”

“From hugs?”

“...Yeah….”

Yuri glances up at the skies looking for the patience he just doesn’t possess “You’re both so damn ridiculous.” He says. The streets are white and frozen and they’re both going to die if they stay here for much longer. Well, probably not, but they still should leave soon “And what was with that free skate, anyway? I mean you have the excuse that you couldn’t do your best because Viktor wasn’t there, but I was in top form and even earned a new personal best. Only to lose to JJ again! You have no right to feel worse than me, Katsudon!” He carefully tosses the paper bag into the older skater’s lap. “You can have it.” Yuri’s eyes go to the frozen streets. The cars lights reflect the snowflakes falling from the sky. His mother would’ve called it magical. Yuri, on the other hand, is just freezing “It’ll be your birthday soon, right?”

Katsuki opens the bag with a curious expression “Pirozhki?”  
“Eat, before they get cold.”  
He looks around before his eyes settled back on Yuri “Right here?”

Yuri just groans “Eat!” he watches Katsuki as he pulls one pirozhki out of the bag and takes a small bit.

“There’s rice in this.. Pork cutlet and egg… it’s a pork cutlet bowl pirozhki!”

“That’s right, my grandpa made them himself.” Yuri’s grin is a bit uncomfortable with the frozen wind cutting his face, but he’s just so proud of his grandpa and how great he is, he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. “They’re great right?”

“Yeah, they’re vkusno.”  
For a fleeting moment he tries to lean on the frozen rail, but his coat is just not that thick. So Yuri just opts for standing there, looking like it was his plan all along.

“Your grandfather is a great cook.” Katsuki says beside him.

“Yeah, he is. Mom used to love his cooking.” One by one the snowflakes settle on his coat, creating a small blanket “She used to love food in general, but grandpa’s cooking was her favorite.”  
“Oh… I see.” Yuuri says awkwardly, which does draw Yuri’s attention. The older man looks uncomfortable and it makes him wonder if Viktor avoids talking about her. Or, worse, if he’s talked about her and how he treated her during her last years. To be honest, he doesn’t know which one would make Katsudon more uncomfortable.

“Withdrawal from hugs,” Yuri chuckles, trying to change the subject “You don’t even look like a touchy person who likes hugs that much.” Viktor? Yeah, totally, dude’s practically touch starved, no matter how much he gets, he still wants more. But Katsudon? He always looked so introverted and reserved.

“Well…” Yuuri scratches the back of his neck, his face redder than before. This time Yuri doesn’t think it’s because of the cold “I like Viktor’s hugs. You know?”

“Ugh,” Yuri gags, because really? “You two make me nauseous.”  
The sound of the cars passing by it’s the only things heard for a couple of minutes before Yuri’s brain freezes enough to stop functioning altogether.

“My father used to hate the cold.” He blurts out. He hasn’t talked about his parents in almost a decade and he doesn’t know why he’s doing it right now. But Katsudon seems like a good listener. One that won’t say a word of this to anyone “He hated everything related to it. From ice, to sharp winds and especially the snow. It was nothing but trouble in his eyes.” He can see Yuuri looking at him intently from the corner of his eye. Fine, let him stare, as long as he stays quiet about it. “But my mother loved it. She loved it with a fiery passion. Which is why she got us into skating lessons so young. And my dad, he loved her so much, that all my mother had to do was tug his hand and say “Look, Kolya, fresh snow,” And my father would be throwing himself into it to make snow angels with her without even thinking. Despite of how much he loathed the cold, he loved her way more.”

Yuuri’s just staring at him like he doesn’t know what to do “I… My parents have always been like that, too, so it’s always been a dream of mine to find someone who would, just accept all of me, I guess.”

“And you think Viktor is that person?”

“Yeah… I truly do. He, he doesn’t always know what to do, but he always tries to meet me where I am and so do I, and I think, that’s a good foundation, you know?”

Agape, Yuri’s mind helpfully provides “Viktor can be an asshole most of the time, but he’s actually quite empathetic. He got that from our mother.”

Yuuri’s eyes are caring and warm when he looks at the blond “Viktor always says that you’re a lot like your mother.”

What? “What?”

“He says that you got her grace and delicacy.”

What? “I didn’t know he said that…” Yuri looks down at the snow beneath his boots.

“He doesn’t talk a lot about your mom, but when he does, it’s usually because he’s saying how much alike you are.”

And Yuri has no idea what to say. What does one respond to that?

Luckily, he’s saved from having to solve that out by a strong, frozen wind that almost knocks them off.

“We should get back to the hotel.”

“Yes, we should.” Yuuri agrees and they start making the walk back “Makkachin is fine, by the way,” the older skater says after a while, interrupting the comfortable silence between them.

“I know, Viktor texted me about an hour ago.” Yuri says, rubbing his arms in an attempt to keep them warm. He should’ve brought a heavier jacket “I’m glad nothing happened to him, considering how old he is now.”

“I’m glad too.”

Despite the cold, Yuri stops right before the entrance of their hotel, forcing Yuuri to do the same “Katsuki, if you fuck this up, I’ll skin you alive with my skates.”

Yuuri just blinks a couple of times, the brown bag a welcome warm on his hands “You really care about Viktor, don’t you, Yurio?” he says with a smile.

Yuri just rolls his green eyes at him “Apart from my grandfather, he’s the only family I’ve got left, so what the fuck do you think, you moron?” it’s Yuri’s angry rebuttal before he bolts into the hotel.

He doesn’t turn around to see whether Yuuri followed, but if he had, he would’ve seen the way Yuuri looked at the brown bag in his hand, or how he mouthed an “I’m sorry” before quietly entering the lobby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this leads to Yuuri starting to consider that accepting Viktor’s help is selfish on his part, which lead us to how he decided to put an end to their relationship once the GP was over. While in the anime the reasons are a bit different, this is my fic and it fit so I went with it :)


End file.
